This invention relates to an analyzer system having a reactor for high temperature chemical reactions, and more particularly, to a separator of precipitate products from gaseous products of the high temperature reaction.
A high temperature reactor is disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,964,868 for an Organic Carbon Analyzer System which issued June 22, 1976 in the names of L. S. DiCola, D. W. Kemp and H. D. Evans. The patent discloses the preprocessing of sewage by the addition of acid to extract carbon dioxide from inorganic carbonaceous substances in the sewage, the sewage then being reacted with an oxidant in a high temperture reactor to produce carbon dioxide from organic carbonaceous substances within the sewage.
A problem arises in that a system, such as that of the aforementioned patent which treats sewage and other matter which may have a wide variety of constituents, produces unwanted by-products in the form of salts which precipitate from the high temperature chemical reaction of the system. For example, with reference to the system of the foregoing patent, it has been observed that a salt precipitate is obtained when the temperature of the reactants and their products drops below approximately 800.degree. C. Unfortunately, these precipitates adhere to the portions of the interior surfaces of the equipment where the lower temperatures are found. In time, the extent of the precipitates is sufficient to clog the equipment necessitating shutdown of the system for cleaning.